Oscar Wilde was an Irish writer, poet, and playwright renowned for his sharp wit, social criticism, and brilliant use of language. Educated at Trinity College and Oxford, he became an expert in Greek literature and won several prestigious poetry prizes. Wilde rose to fame with works such as The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890) and The Importance of Being Earnest (1895), alongside his plays Lady Windermere's Fan (1892) and Salomé (1894). His life was marred by scandal and imprisonment due to his sexuality, but his literary legacy remains a significant influence on English literature.